Tari's Revelation in Middle Earth
by Magsluvsaragorn
Summary: A story of a girl who finds herself mysteriously in Middle Earth, just outside Imladris shortly before the Counsel of Elrond takes place.
1. Default Chapter

A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---  
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to  
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the  
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you wan to  
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making  
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the  
moment, unfortunately), I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to  
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope  
you like it, and review it for me please!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Tari headed up the hill to her room after sitting through the most horribly long English class ever. She was currently in her third year of university, taking a class on Shakespeare as an elective for her Nutrition degree. * Damn! * she thought, * If I have to sit through another day of this horrible play, I'm going to go into a freakin' coma!! And why did he have to cut MacBeth from the list, its my favourite play! Stupid jackass professor! * She was tired of school, starting to feel burnt out, and she just wanted to go back home to Hampton. Tari really loved living and going to school in Halifax, but, at this point, she wished she could just enjoy the city without being bogged down by papers, tests, projects, readings, and every other conceived stress from being a typical university student. * I wish they had a course on Lord of the Rings, then I wouldn't be able to stay away from class! Plus I'd get an A for sure! Too bad I couldn't use my obsession as a credit...stupid school! * After opening the door to her residence, Tari trudged up the stairs to her room, unlocked the door, and threw her books, keys, and her coat on the unmade bed.  
  
"Knock knock!" came a voice from the other side of the door. Tari turned around, stifling an exasperated sigh. "Hi Colin," she replied, hoping against hope that he wouldn't go on and on about his on-again, off- again girlfriend Jenna. "What can I do for you?" Colin came in and plopped himself down on her bed, squishing her poor pillow flat. Tari resisted the urge to yank the pillow out of Colin's grasp. "I don't know what to do about Jenna," he sighed in depression as he ran his hand through his newly dyed chestnut/red hair. Tari sighed audibly, unable to hold it in as her patience wore dangerously thin. "Why, what did she do this time?" she asked Colin. "Well, she says that she's just friends with Cameron, but, after the way they behaved when I went home for spring break, I just have this feeling that she's cheating on me." Tari swore inwardly to herself before replying, "Well, Colin, like I told you before, if you don't like how Jenna is treating you, end the relationship. You don't need a girl who refuses to make a commitment to you, since she's obviously reluctant to leave the dating stages of your relationship. She obviously wants to have her cake and eat it too. Its time to give her the ultimatum—define your relationship; figure out where its going, or its over. It's as simple as that. Jenna's not being fair to you, so why do you take it? Time to get over your feelings for her, since she's not returning them." Tari knew she was being harsh, but she was sick and tired of being nice and getting nowhere. Tough love was the only way to go in this case. Colin looked at Tari sadly. "I know you're right, Tari, but its so hard!" She looked at her depressed friend sympathetically. "I understand that Colin, I really do, but we've had this conversation more times than I can count, and there are only so many ways to say the same thing. Why do you keep on asking my advice when you know, in your heart, what is best for you in the long run. My answers aren't going to change, Colin. The rest of the girls have been saying the same thing. Give her up, for your sake, as well as Jenna's." Tari ended softly. "As well as for my sanity!" she muttered under her breath. Colin nodded thoughtfully and left Tari alone in peace. "That's it!" she said forcefully to herself, "I'm closing and locking my door. I need a nap!" She shut off her light, threw her stuff in her chair, and cuddled up with her blanket and pillow for some well-deserved rest. 


	2. Chapter 2

A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---  
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to  
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the  
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to  
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making  
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the  
moment, unfortunately), I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to  
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope  
you like it, and review it for me please!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Ugh, I can't sleep!" Tari murmured to herself twenty minutes after her head hit the pillow. She pushed herself up off the bed with an annoyed huff and slid her feet into her most comfortable shoes. Deciding to put on an oversized sweatshirt, Tari decided to walk up to the grocery store via the path in the woods behind the university. She grabbed the keys and her favourite purse, making sure her bankcards were there, then locked the door and headed down the stairs and out of the house.  
  
Tari paused outside for a minute out in the glorious sunshine and light fall breeze, breathing in the crispness of the air in delight. She let the sun wash over her face, nearly navy dusted blue eyes shut in contentment. * Ahhhhh! * she thought, * now THIS is relaxation! * Tari opened her eyes with a smile, pulling her sunglasses off the top of her champagne blonde covered head. She tossed a small piece of her long hair over her left shoulder and headed up the driveway, turning right at the end of it and walking the rest of the way up the hill toward the woods.  
  
Tari stood silently on the edge of the mini forest, the path clearly showing in front of her. She was still for a moment, imagining she was in Middle Earth, on her way to meet the fellowship and to help ensure the destruction of the One Ring. * You're crazy! * Tari thought sadly to herself, shaking her head in the attempt to rid herself of her silly daydream. * You know that could never happen. As real as these people seem to you, they only exist in books and movies. Get over it already! * She sighed sadly, a few tears slipping unheeded from her huge, sad blue eyes. Tari realized, having seen 'Return of the King' in theatres four times so far, that the journey really was over, except for video and DVD releases later in the year. Tari felt like an important part of her had died—it was still hard to imagine not waiting another year for the next chapter of the trilogy to come out. When she did think about it, her lip always quivered as tears always built up a well in her eyes before pouring down in a salty waterfall. She wiped the threatening onslaught from her eyes quickly, not wanting to have red, puffy eyes when she made it out on the other side of her woodland trail. Tari stepped forward, beginning her journey on the short footpath to the other side.  
  
A few minutes later, Tari emerged from the tiny forest with her eyes on the ground. She frowned in confusion, her light blonde, nearly invisible eyebrows furrowing together. Instead of the pavement she expected to see behind the Mormon church, there was more grass. Looking up slowly, she saw not the red brick church, but Lord Elrond's house in Imladris looming ahead of her. Eyes widening in shock and amazement, she turned her head as far as she could to either side, taking in the scenery all around her. She seemed to be in a garden, not a very long distance from where the Counsel of Elrond would be held. "Toto," she muttered to herself, quoting from one of her favourite movies, "looks like we're not in Kansas anymore!" 


	3. Chapter 3

A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---  
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to  
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the  
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to  
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making  
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the  
moment, unfortunately), I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to  
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope  
you like it, and review it for me please! I'm a university  
student at the moment, so updating will be kinda sporadic for a  
bit, so bear with me, ok??  
  
I'd like to thank my two reviewers, myheartxyourknife and sinny3—glad you liked it! Thanks for the advice, hope this one looks better!! Sorry for reposting Chapter 2, I'm still getting used to ff.net since I am new to posting...hope it works this time 'round!!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Getting over her initial shock, Tari headed over to the stairs at the other end of the garden as silently as possible. Everything was silent, excepting the birds chirping sweetly from their perches on the bushes and in the trees behind her. She tiptoed up the stairs as silently as she could, glad that she had worn her quieter heeled shoes rather than the ones that made loud clicks on the ground wherever she walked. Reaching the top, she noticed that there was only a lone figure standing with his back facing her. Judging the length of his dark hair, he was not an elf, but a man. *Oh my goodness* Tari thought to herself excitedly, *I think it's Aragorn!!!* She had loved his character in the books and movies the most, and kinda had a crush on his character too, if that was possible.  
  
"Um...excuse me..." Tari began softly, not wanting to surprise him. She supposed he had heard her coming behind him, since she knew his ranger skills were impeccable. He turned slowly at the sound of her voice and, once seeing her standing there in her jeans and oversized sweatshirt, gasped in surprise.  
  
"Who are you?" the man asked suspiciously. "How did you get into Rivendell unannounced?" Tari stepped back slightly, taken aback by his frown and intimidating facial expression. This was most definitely Aragorn, and he looked just like Viggo Mortensen, the actor that played him in the movies. *At least I'll recognize everyone* she thought to herself.  
  
"Uh..." Tari began nervously, shifting from one foot to the other, "My name is Tari Alarisel. I...um...I actually don't know how I got here, because one moment, I was stepping out from the forest path nearby where I live, and I ended up in that garden just down the steps from this spot..." She trailed off there, not knowing what else to say.  
  
"So...are you some sort of spy for the Dark Lord?" he asked her, taking a step closer to her, making Tari's eyes widen in alarm.  
  
"What?!!?!" she squeaked out in a voice much higher than her normal pitch, "How could you think I would have anything to do with the Dark Lord or Mordor or anything evil? Do I look like a spy sent from Mordor to you???" she demanded indignantly. The idea of him thinking she would be from that evil land!!  
  
"Well, if you were, it wouldn't make sense for you to be able to be here in Imladris..." Aragorn conceded. He sighed softly, backing off from the intimidation tactics. "I am sorry, my lady, I did not mean to insult you in such a way. We are very wary of strangers in these ever-darkening days, I'm afraid. I am Strider, by the way. Please, Lady Tari, allow me to escort you inside to see the Lord Elrond. I'm sure he will have much to ask of you." Tari nodded her head silently, slipping her arm into the arm offered to her. *Somehow, I think Elrond will have a lot to say...* 


	4. Chapter 4

A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---  
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to  
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the  
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to  
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making  
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the  
moment, unfortunately), I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to  
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope  
you like it, and review it for me please! I'm a university  
student at the moment, so updating will be kinda sporadic for a  
bit, so bear with me, ok??  
  
I just posted the real chapter 3, and am now working on chapter 4, which will be posted this evening (early morning???) Sorry again for reposting Chapter 2!! Hopefully we won't have any more screw-ups. Hope you all like it, thanks again to those that reviewed!! More reviews would not be unwelcome...good, bad, indifferent, whatever, I'm gonna write it anyway, so...say what you like!!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Tari walked quietly down the hall with Aragorn, very nervous about meeting Elrond. She figured there was a chance that he had foreseen her coming here to Middle Earth, but she really didn't know for sure.  
  
Aragorn stopped in front of a tall, heavy wooden door, intricately carved with leaves and vines and other beautiful designs that were beyond all description in her eyes. "This is Lord Elrond's study. I shall announce your arrival. Would you like to speak to him alone, or would you like me to stay inside there with you?" Tari looked up at him (trying not to drool since he was obviously hot!! ;) ), slightly unsure. "If it is alright with you, my lord, I would rather have you there, since you are the first person I've met here in Middle Earth." At Tari's utterance of 'my lord', he replied, "Of course, my lady, but please, call me Strider." Tari smiled inwardly, realizing that he was not revealing to her who he truly was, even though she knew everything about him and about what would happen, even up to his death long into the future, nodded in silent agreement. "Only if you call me Tari—'my lady' is far too informal for me." He nodded as well, a kind smile on his face.  
  
Opening the door for her, Aragorn allowed her to enter Elrond's study ahead of him. The elf's back was toward them, and Aragorn had to clear his throat slightly to bring him out of his concentration on the book in his hands. Elrond turned slowly and, upon seeing Tari and his foster son, raised a finely chiseled dark brow at him. "Estel, who is this young girl?" Tari shuffled nervously, realizing that Elrond had not foreseen her coming after all. "Ada," the young man replied, "This is the Lady Tari Alarisel. She, apparently, is not from Middle Earth, and is unsure of how she arrived here in Imladris, at the Last Homely House." Elrond's brow furrowed, deep in thought. Tari curtsied to the Elven lord, unsure exactly of the customs here, since it had been a while since she had read the books, but she felt that this was a safe practice. Estel had nodded his head to the elf and then glided further into the back of the room, into the shadows. Tari looked back at him nervously, questioning him with her eyes. He nodded his encouragement to speak.  
  
"Lord Elrond," Tari began, "what Estel says is true. I really am unsure as to how I got here, but I can assure you, I am not a spy for the enemy; not Sauron, nor Saruman." She then proceeded to tell him about setting out to buy groceries and her walk through the path, telling him what she expected to see when coming out onto the other side. "So, instead of seeing the stone building that is always there, I ended up out in one of the gardens, near the steps to one of the outdoor gathering areas. That is where I met Estel, or Strider as he called himself. He had already questioned me about being a spy for the dark forces. I'm sure it must have been because of my attire—I realize that this choice seems strange here in Middle Earth, but I assure you, it is quite common where I come from."  
  
Elrond considered what Tari had to say for a few minutes in silence, looking to Aragorn to see what he thought of the whole thing. The look on the man's face told Elrond that the girl could be trusted. Elrond tended to agree. He nodded his head slowly. "I believe you, Lady Tari, and I have but one more question for you. How is it that you know about the evil that is going on here in Middle Earth if you have just arrived here, out in my gardens, mere moments ago?" One slender brow lifted in question, and Aragorn leaned in forward from his chair in the shadows, curious to hear the answer for himself. 


	5. Chapter 5

A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---  
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to  
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the  
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to  
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making  
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the  
moment, unfortunately); I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to  
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope  
you like it, and review it for me please! Also thought up some  
part of the plot for much later in the story that will include  
Eomer, but look for that later on. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Tari shuffled nervously, chewing softly on her lower lip as she tried to think of a way to tell them that, in her world, they were not real, only a creation of a writer's imagination.  
  
"Well, Lord Elrond," Tari began, "I'm not really sure where to begin. This is going to sound quite strange to both of you, but I want you both to know that everything I am about to reveal to you is not false." Aragorn sat back in his chair, his dark brows furrowed in both confusion and thought. Elrond looked at Tari intensely, as if to read her thoughts to determine her honesty. Tari tried to keep her mind open to him, but she was unsure if he would be able to read her muddled thoughts.  
  
After a few minutes, Elrond pulled up an extra chair and invited Tari to sit. "I have the feeling that this will be a somewhat long story. Please, be comfortable. Anything you have to tell us will be received in calm and trust, and in complete confidence, I assure you." Elrond said encouragingly as he sat to her right. Aragorn pulled his chair closer and sat at her left, the three of them forming an intimate triangle. "Please, my lady," Aragorn said softly, grasping her left hand into his two large, sword-roughened hands (**A/N...wish it were me!!!**), "Be at ease. No harm shall come to you here, you are safe, and among friends." Tari looked into his soft gray eyes, her dark, dusty blue orbs piercing as she nodded her thanks to him with a small smile on her face. "I thank you, milords, both, for your kindness in putting me at ease." Tari replied softly, looking between Aragorn and Elrond as she spoke. Taking a deep breath, she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, looking down to the hands in her lap, her right playing with the hem of her sweatshirt, and the other still in Aragorn's encouraging grasp.  
  
"This is not very easy to say, since it will, in all certainty, shock you both. The place I come from is not in the same realm as Middle Earth. In my world, Middle Earth does not exist as a real place with real people, but only in storybooks. That is how I know of what is happening here in Middle Earth. I have read these stories, and loved them more than any other I've ever read. I know about the Council that is about to take place, I know the result, and all the other events that are to take place. And, Strider, I know your true identity—you are Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir of Isildur, and heir to the throne of Gondor." Tari paused at this, out of breath, gauging their reactions. They did not disappoint. Aragorn grew pale once hearing that she knew his true identity, while Elrond seemed to focus on the fact that, on Earth, their world did not exist.  
  
"My lady," Elrond began, "there is no Middle Earth where you come from? Who is in your existence in your world?" "Only men, milord." Tari answered quietly. "Well, are there not evils in your world? Do you have peace and safety in your lands?" Elrond asked, baffled. Tari thought about how to answer that—it was a loaded question, whether he knew it or not. "Yes, Lord Elrond, there are evils in my world also. But you must understand, my world is very large, much larger, I deem, than Middle Earth. You could, according to the maps of Middle Earth I have seen in my books at home, ride a horse from one end to the other, though it would take you a long time. In my world, Middle Earth is the size of just one area of my lands, most resembling the continent of Europe. (**A/N...did anyone ever notice that ME kinda looks like Europe? Or am I nuts?**) Where I come from, there are many more such lands, some larger and some smaller, and separated by great seas. So, to answer your question, some areas seem to know some semblance of peace, but many of these lands are ravaged by war, hunger, disease, and utter poverty and destruction. Much like the good and evil here, both good and evil men exist in my world, not exactly in the form Sauron takes, but it is there as well." Elrond nodded silently, brows furrowed.  
  
Tari looked over to Aragorn, instinctively knowing he was about to speak. "I know you must be feeling apprehensive about me knowing your identity, but please, don't be. It is not up to me to reveal anything to anyone, and I realize the seriousness of keeping your true self hidden. It is completely your decision, and I do honour that. I promise, I will never betray your secret." Aragorn let out a heaving sigh of relief. "I thank you, my lady. But what I truly desire to know is how much do you know about our lives?" Tari nodded, knowing that the question would be brought about at some point. "I am going to be completely honest with you, even though it may be difficult for you to hear. I cannot give away too much for fear of changing events that are destined to be. All I can truly tell you is that I know of the events of your entire life, even up until the day you die." Tari watched his eyes widen in apprehension, not sure if she meant it would happen sooner rather than later. "Rest assured, Aragorn, it shant be for a good long while yet." She patted Aragorn's hand holding hers with her free right hand, giving him a smile to calm him somewhat. "I understand that this is a lot of information to digest in a short time span, but if you have anything else you want to ask, now or later, I shall answer as much as I can." Tari said. She continued with a perplexed look on her face, "The only thing I don't know is the part that I shall be playing in all of this. This didn't happen in my storybooks!" 


	6. Chapter 6

A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---  
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to  
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the  
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to  
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making  
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the  
moment, unfortunately); I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to  
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope  
you like it, and review it for me please! Also thought up some  
part of the plot for much later in the story that will include  
Eomer, but look for that later on. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"Well, Lady Tari, I believe I have so many questions that I do not know where to begin!" exclaimed Elrond. "However," he continued, "I believe that I will not ask any more than what I have for now. I believe that you should be among the Council this afternoon. Estel, have you any more questions for the lady?"  
  
"Just one more, "he replied, turning from Elrond to Tari. Looking into her eyes, Aragorn asked, "this has nothing to do with what you just told us, but how old are you?" The concern in Tari's eyes melted and she began to chuckle.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness! An easy one! I am 27, milord. I realize that I appear to be much younger. I hear it all the time at home. It is a trait in my family to look much younger than my actual age. It can be quite trying at times, but its great as I get older. I just keep telling myself, 'think how great you'll look when you're 80!'" Tari ended with a laugh. "My people don't have Numenorean blood or anything like that, but with the technology available in the world I came from, our life spans are still pretty long. My people could compare to the Rohirrim in life span, although we're not all blonde like they are. Anyway, I realize that the oldest Rohirrim can live to about 65 with what is known to them so far. Middle Earth is much like my home was about 500 years ago, and more. Technology and knowledge in my world has grown so much that healers, or doctors as we call them, can keep men alive to 80, 90, 100, and even a few years more! My own great grandmother died at 102, so that gives me hope for a pretty long life, assuming I don't get sliced by orcs or something. Anyway, that was a long winded question to answer '27' I suppose, but it gave a bit more information about my world anyway."  
  
"Shall we inform those at the Council of where you are from?" Elrond asked. Tari sat silent for a few moments, trying to decide. She wasn't sure that was such a great idea, considering all she knew. Before she could open her mouth, however, Aragorn piped up. "Ada, I do not believe this to be wise. I fear that any more discussion outside Imladris could somehow fall into the Enemy's hands. You know that Gandalf said that Saruman has turned from goodness, and even Lady Tari knows of all that will happen here. If it is known, she could be captured somehow, and you know that female captives suffer many more terrible horrors that I will not speak of here than male captives. It is my belief that this information would be best kept between the 3 of us, except for Gandalf. He probably already knows of this anyway. Would this be to your satisfaction, My Lady?"  
  
Tari stared at Aragorn in amazement. "That is amazing! How did you know I was about to say that? Are you able to read my mind or something?" He gave her an amused grin. "Nay, my lady," he replied, "'Tis just what I thought we should do." Tari shook her head, dumbfounded. "I guess great minds think alike then." She said softly to herself. Elrond and Aragorn chuckled, both having heard her.  
  
"Well, Lady Tari, it is time to get ready for the Council. Estel, please show her to her room." Elrond announced. A knock was heard on the door, and a beautiful, dark haired female elf popped her head in the door. "Ada," she said softly, her voice like soft chimes on a summer breeze, "The guests for the Council have arrived and are ready for it to begin." She finished. "Arwen, come in." Elrond replied. She opened the door further and entered the room, almost if gliding. She then closed the door softly behind her and glided over to her father, kissing him on the cheek softly. Tari smiled lightly, wishing that her own father were here. "I want you to meet a new member of the Council, my dear. This is Lady Tari, and she hails from very far away." Elrond said, as Arwen nodded her head. Tari curtsied to her, knowing that Arwen was a princess and, in her world, she was just a regular person. "It is wonderful to meet you, My Lady." Tari said softly, very nervous all of a sudden. A laugh bubbled forth from Arwen as she replied, "Please, do not be so formal and nervous with me! Just call me Arwen. I see you have met Estel as well." Arwen settled her eyes on Aragorn and a dreamy smile crossed her face. Tari looked up at Aragorn and saw a similar face, although somewhat goofy as well. Tari rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Yes," she replied, amused, "he is the first person I met when I arrived in Imladris." Tari was quite sure Arwen hadn't heard a word.  
  
Elrond cleared his throat loudly, clearly not amused. "Estel, please take Lady Tari to her room, and Arwen, please find some suitable dresses for Lady Tari to wear." He commanded in a loud voice. Aragorn cleared his throat in embarrassment, nodding abruptly to Arwen. "Yes, Ada," he replied. "Come along then, Lady Tari." She nodded her head to Elrond and lowered her head as she exited the door so that Aragorn could not see the grin on her face. Arwen followed not far behind, turning down a corridor opposite from where Tari and Aragorn were headed.  
  
"You don't need to be embarrassed you know. About your display of affection for Arwen. I know all about that too. You don't need to hide it from me." Tari said softly, peering up at Aragorn, since he was so much taller than she was. Aragorn's brow unfurrowed slowly. He turned his head to look down at Tari. "Thank you," he replied softly, "its nice to have someone understand. Since I met Arwen, I was in love with her. Being the foster son of an elf lord and being raised among elves was wonderful, but none of them, excepting Arwen, are very happy or understanding of us wanting to be together." Tari nodded in sympathy. "I see what you mean. I bet part of you feels like you can't ask her to give up her immortality for you, but the other part of you can't fathom what life would be like without her." He nodded sadly, and replied, "Yes. I believe this is the first time anyone could understand what I was feeling. Living among elves, they can't imagine not being immortal, or not wanting to be immortal. They cannot understand why Arwen might want to give up her immortality knowing that I would, eventually die, and she would fade herself because of her broken heart. Part of me wonders how I can doom her to death and heartbreak." He sighed deeply. Tari nodded thoughtfully. "Did you ever stop to think that she has already thought about all of this herself? Yes, it is a lot for her to think about, and giving up her friends, family, and immortality is a big deal, but think about what she would be giving up if she chose immortality over you. If she didn't go immediately to the Undying Lands, she would still fade from heartbreak. Either way, it is bound to happen to her anyway, no matter what she chooses. She knows that just as well as you do. Isn't it better for her to spend a limited time with the one she loves rather than to spend eternity alone? I know I wouldn't be strong enough for that. Years alone is hard enough, but eternity? I know I couldn't do it. Maybe she can't either." Tari finished as they stopped in front of an ornately decorated door. Aragorn opened it for her in silence. Tari knew he was contemplating everything she had said. He gestured her inside and followed her in, leaving the door open for Arwen since she would be coming with armloads of dresses.  
  
"Lady Tari," Aragorn began, "I thank you for this conversation. It has given me a lot to think about. I believe I did need a reminder of all that Arwen has already said." Tari nodded with a smile on her face. "It was my pleasure. And its just Tari, remember. I figured you needed another female point of view. Any time you want to talk, I'm here."Aragorn nodded, "I'll remember that. Anything I can do for you, just name it." He replied. Tari thought briefly, knowing of the adventure she planned on joining soon. "Actually, I wouldn't mind having a bit of sword training. One never knows when it might come in handy." He chuckled softly. "I shall see what I can do, milady." He bowed deeply, mocking her with a laugh. "Ha ha, very funny, milord." She laughed back, curtsying and bowing her head, her shoulders shaking with her laughter.  
  
Arwen entered at that moment with the two of them laughing and bowing/curtsying to each other. She cleared her throat softly, announcing her presence. Aragorn's head shot up, and he looked to Tari briefly before looking at Arwen with a sheepish grin on his face. Arwen's brow was raised in curiosity and, upon looking between Arwen's curious face and Aragorn's sheepish grin, she burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, Lady Arwen, I don't mean to be rude. It seems that your betrothed here has quite a good sense of humour." Arwen looked to Aragorn in shock. "You told her about us already Estel?" Before Aragorn could defend himself, Tari replied on his behalf. "He did not have to, my lady. It was obvious to me how much the two of you love each other. I just came to my own conclusions." Arwen blushed and lowered her head, the tips of her pointed ears glowing light pink. "Don't be embarrassed, Lady Arwen. I think its quite lovely to be so in love that you can't help but show it. I just hope it happens for me someday." Arwen smiled to Tari, thankful for the support. "Well, Tari, I shall look for a sword for you and begin lessons after the Council. I shall come for you in half an hour to escort you to the meeting, if that would be to your liking." Tari nodded. "That would be fine. See you soon, my friend."  
  
Upon Aragorn's exit, Arwen looked at Tari in thought. "Red appears to be your colour. Am I correct?" Tari looked at Arwen in amazement. "Yes, it is. Deep red actually. You have a very perceptive eye, lady Arwen." Arwen smiled. "Please, just call me Arwen. I truly hate the formality." Tari nodded in agreement. "Me too. Please, call me Tari. All my other friends do." "Then I shall as well," Arwen answered. "Estel seemed to be comfortable with you earlier. It seems the two of you shall be good friends." Arwen said casually. Tari thought she might be a little upset with the ease of speech that Tari had with Aragorn. "Yes. I told him that it was obvious how much in love the two of you were and I told him how hard I thought it was to be mortal and be in love with someone immortal. I gave him another female perspective to think over. I told him how hard it would be for you no matter what you decided to do, because either way would end in heartbreak for you. Then I told him I understood how you could decide to choose him over immortality because eternity is a long time to be alone. I know I certainly couldn't do it, even if I were an elf as well. I couldn't go my own lifetime alone, let alone eternity. I just thought he needed to hear it." Arwen smiled slowly as she listened to everything Tari had said, relieved that she wasn't losing Aragorn. "It seems the two of you have discussed this in detail." Arwen observed. "No, not really. It was more of an I spoke, he listened kind of conversation. He wasn't saying anything on the way to my room, and the silence was too much for me. So I just told him not to be embarrassed by how he felt, then I just kept talking." Tari confessed. "He seems quiet. My father's like that sometimes too. I guess I'm just used to filling the silence sometimes. But I'm quiet sometimes too. It depends on my mood I guess." Arwen nodded. "We should get back to the dresses though." Tari continued. "Let me see them." Arwen held up the red dress she had mentioned. It was gorgeous!! It had a scooped neckline and a fitted waist, which flared out at the top of the hips. The sleeves were wide, the ends hanging past the knees. A gold belt hung low on the waist and the stitches and hems were in the same gold thread. Satin mules were made to match. "Whoa!" Tari murmured, her eyes wide. "This is too fancy for me to wear. I love it, but I would be afraid of ruining it!" Arwen laughed. "Don't be silly! Besides, this dress is for more of a formal dinner or party. I was thinking more along the lines of this deep rose coloured dress for this afternoon's Council. What do you think?" Tari looked it over. It had an empire waistline and the same sleeves adorned this dress. It came with matching mules and a sheer rose wrap, with roses along the wrap's top hem. Tari nodded dumbly. The dress really was lovely, even if pink wasn't her favourite colour. It reminded her of a sweater she had in her closet at home. Arwen helped her put it on and did up her hair with a few pink roses in it. Tari slipped on the mules and turned, at Arwen's request, to look into the mirror. Tari gasped at her transformation. She looked beautiful!!  
  
Tari started as she heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" called Tari. Aragorn entered the room and took Arwen's hand to place a kiss upon it. Then, he looked at Tari as she came out from hanging up the other dresses in the closet and he gasped. "Wow, Tari, you look lovely! The men at the Council won't be able to take their eyes off you!" Arwen shot him a dirty look. Tari giggled as she realized that Aragorn had not seen it. "Except for you, of course, right Strider?" Tari replied with a question, hoping to appeal to Arwen and to try to make things easier for Aragorn, since she knew that Arwen didn't look happy with that comment. "Since you're practically an elf and all?" Arwen looked at Tari and couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, Estel, time for you and Tari to go to your meeting. Until the dinner feast, meleth nin." Arwen kissed him softly on the cheek and glided out the door. Aragorn's gaze was off Tari by this time and followed Arwen out the door. Tari's brow furrowed in thought and, as he turned away from the door, he held out his arm and the look on her face disappeared before he could see it. "Shall we?" he asked. "We shall." She replied, taking the arm he offered with one hand and closing the door behind them with the other. 


	7. Chapter 7

A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---  
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to  
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the  
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to  
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making  
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the  
moment, unfortunately); I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to  
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope  
you like it, and review it for me please! Also thought up some  
part of the plot for much later in the story that will include  
Eomer, but look for that later on. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Tari and Aragorn neared the end of their journey through a number of hallways and corners to reach the entrance area she recognized as the one she had come in earlier. Tari's level of apprehension rose as they neared the council area. "Tari," Aragorn whispered to her, "please, there is nothing to fear. Just relax; we are all friends and allies here. Now would you kindly remove your very sharp nails from my forearm, as they have most likely left marks." Shaking the scared thoughts out of her head slightly, she looked up at him unsurely. "I'm sorry, Aragorn, I don't mean to be so nervous. I mean, I know what happens here, and I know what has to happen, but I just don't know how I shall be received by some of those gathered. I have been lucky that you and Lord Elrond have been so kind and understanding, Lady Arwen too, but some of the other peoples gathered here may not take kindly to a woman being present." Tari fidgeted nervously, slowing her steps until she came to a dead stop just in front of the entrance of the council area. Aragorn stopped to look into her eyes, reassuring her of her need to be present at the meeting. "Breathe deeply, and stay calm. You are expected, and the council really must convene. We cannot linger. Come, all are waiting." Tari nodded softly to his soothing words, taking a deep breath as she headed out the archway on Aragorn's well- muscled forearm.  
  
"Ah, Estel, Lady Tari, good! You are here. It is time to begin the council. Please, take your seats and we shall begin." Elrond announced as Tari and Aragorn entered. Aragorn bowed to Elrond, acknowledging him with a muted, "Lord Elrond." Tari followed his example, curtsying and with her head bowed low. To her own acknowledgement of her gracious host, she added, "Please, milord, forgive my tardiness to the council. It took me longer to prepare than I had previously anticipated." Elrond nodded his forgiveness, seeing the nervousness written plainly on her delicate face. She turned to the others and curtsied respectfully. "And I ask your pardon as well, milords. I had not intended to take up more of your time. She watched as Boromir stood, smiling at her as he bowed before her, taking her hand into his and placing a soft kiss on it. "You are most heartily forgiven , my lady." He replied to her request, giving her a rather flirty grin. Tari's cheeks reddened slightly in a blush, her cheeks taking on a vibrant rosy hue. She thanked him softly and followed the path Aragorn had taken, since the last seat was beside him.  
  
"Now that we have all gathered, allow me to introduce you all to Lady Tari, who comes to us from a far off land unknown to all of us. She has previously made her acquaintance with Strider and me. I cannot tell you all why she is here, since I am not completely clear on that matter myself, but she is an integral part of this council." Each person introduced himself to her, even though she already knew who everyone was. Boromir gave her a wink as he announced who he was, the same grin still on his face. Tari smiled nervously, the rosy blush returning to her cheeks as she bowed her head in greeting. Elrond continued. "Darkness has fallen over Middle Earth, and we are here to discuss how to stop it. Sauron seeks to destroy the free peoples of Middle Earth, and the most dangerous weapon of evil has surfaced. Frodo, bring forth the ring." Frodo, who sat on Tari's right, stood slowly, wincing slightly from what she knew to be the wound from the witch king's morgul blade. Frodo placed the ring on a small table made of stone in the centre of the meeting area.  
  
Tari looked away from the ring, knowing of its dangers immediately. Instead, she looked at the reaction of the other council members. Nearly all were shocked, amazement plainly written in their eyes. She noticed Boromir standing and heard him stutter before speaking. "So it is true!" He went on, but Tari did not listen further, knowing the gist of how his monologue would go. She stood slowly, facing Boromir. "My lord Boromir," Tari began, "please, forgive my interruption, but you must realize that this ring is far too dangerous for any of us to try to use against Sauron. If you try to wield it, great harm will come to you. The Ring of Power is loyal only to its creator. It betrays any other that tries to wield its power. Those that have tried to control its power in the past, other than the dark lord himself, have died because of it. I do not want to see anyone here die because of it. Te only way to be free and at peace is to destroy it." Tari sat, breathing in it out rapidly, winded from her extremely passionate speech. She wavered slightly, nearly falling backward out of her seat, except for Aragorn's catching her in his arms before she cold completely lose her seat. He pulled her closer to him, asking if she was alright, the healer in him taking over. He placed his hand on her forehead as she replied that she was. "I suppose I used up more air in my speech than I had realized. I'm just a little winded. I'll be fine in a moment." Aragorn pulled her hand closer to him, taking her pulse in her wrist. Tari gasped softly, realizing that her heart was pounding practically out of her chest. Her crush on Aragorn came into her mind, and she tried to fight those feelings. Aragorn noted her rapid heartbeat and looked to Tari, concern written all over his face. She blushed, quickly looking away from him so that she could hide the emotion on her face. "I'm fine." She mumbled quickly, thinking about how much hotter he looked in person rather than on the big screen. "My words and my emotions took over. It will be back to normal in a few moments. I'm alright, just a little embarrassed." He nodded slowly, vowing to himself to keep an eye on her after this. Tari kept her gaze on her lap, finding that her nails all of a sudden needed lots of attention. She could feel Aragorn's gaze on her, and she also sensed Boromir's gaze. She wondered if her secret crush was written all over her face. She had always had a crush on Aragorn, since she first saw the movies and read the books. There was just something about his character that really appealed to her. Until now, she had believed that having a crush on a fictional character was silly and useless, since none of the men she knew from home could never live up to him.  
  
Tari was woken from her reverie as Elrond continued the council, agreeing with what she had said. The meeting went on much as it had in the film and the book. Aragorn was revealed as the heir of Isildur, and an argument broke out between him, Legolas, and Boromir. "Please," Tari interrupted, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration and aggravation as she felt a headache coming on. "this is not the time to argue about whether or not Gondor needs its king. Aragorn is Isildur's heir, but that is not the issue at hand right now. Can't we just get back to how to destroy the ring? That is, after all, why we are here." Tari wondered how she had not remembered this argument to be more annoying than it really was. She knew these guys were acting macho. It seemed to be the way guys were, no matter where you were in time or space. The men mumbled their apologies and sat down again. Everyone got back to how the ring was to be destroyed and the argument about who was going to take it broke out, just as she knew it would. Tari sat silently, knowing that Frodo was about to volunteer. Damn Tari thought to herself, what I wouldn't do for a couple of Advil right now...  
  
Frodo jumped up, volunteering to take the ring to destroy it. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Tari all volunteered to help him, and Boromir agreed as well, although grudgingly. Sam, Merry, and Pippin jumped out of their various hiding spaces and declared that they were going too, saying that they would not willingly leave Frodo; that they would have to be tied in sacks and sent home in order to be stopped. But, before Elrond was to declare them the fellowship of the ring, Boromir interrupted, his curiosity taking over. Excuse me, but how will Lady Tari be of any assistance in this mission? I beg your pardon, my lady, as I am not trying to insult you, but you do not appear to be very strong or able to fight anything bigger than you." He had turned to her once he started speaking to her. "You are a lovely woman, of that I have no doubt, my lady, but you are very slight. I only worry for your safety. I believe it would be safer for you to stay here." Tari fought the urge to roll her eyes and tell him exactly what she thought of his macho, caveman attitude. "There is no insult taken, Lord Boromir. I realize that I am not very tall, and that I am rather slender. However, I am well trained in the use of a bow, thanks to my loving father, and I am also excellent in hand-to-hand combat. I was trained by a man who was three times my height and who was also three times as wide, muscle bound as he was. I have what is known in my world as a black belt in Karate, which is the highest level of hand-to-hand combat that can be achieved. If you wish, you can test me later, although I must warn you, some moves that I have learned can kill a man. I wouldn't use those moves though. Those are only for the enemy, or those that try to hurt me." Tari knew very well that Boromir would not be taking up on her offer, judging by the look on his face, but if he did, she would blow him away! She would prove to him that she was not one of the women he was used to! Tari grinned mischievously at Aragorn, who was smirking at Boromir's reaction. "I would like to see that sometime, milady." Tari laughed heartily. "Is that a challenge then, milord Aragorn?" "No, no, not me, I believe you! I would much rather see you take on Boromir, who is, as I have heard, the best fighter in Gondor. That would be a match I would very much like to see!" he laughed loudly. Tari giggled as she shot a quick glance at Boromir, who was looking very uncomfortable at being the butt of the joke at the moment. Somehow, Aragorn knew that she was no mere woman, afraid of silly little things like most women he knew. He could sense that about her.  
  
"Lady Tari is right." Elrond broke in. "Besides her self-defense skills, she is a very important part of this quest. She knows more about what is happening than any of us. Not only is she extremely well versed in the history of Middle Earth, but she sees what will happen in the future and can guide you accordingly." Tari nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lord Elrond is right. While you may not understand why I say or do what I do, just remember that everything is said and done for one main purpose. We may not always understand the reason for things, but it is all important to the overall outcome." Tari knew she was being cryptic, but she couldn't give any more clues for fear of changing the future as she knew it here. She heard Aragorn mumbling to himself as they left the council, many going their separate ways, "just like Gandalf, she too speaks in riddles!" 


	8. Chapter 8

A Note:I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the moment, unfortunately); I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope you like it, and review it for me please! Also thought up some part of the plot for much later in the story that will include Eomer, but look for that later on. Enjoy! Also, a big thanks to a new reviewer, Crecy. Glad you liked it, I do find that I manage a few funnies when I can...doesn't hurt to have a little comic relief with your drama/action/adventure/romance/etc, etc. Hope you like the next one, and please, everybody, leave me a quick note! As far as I know I do accept anonymous reviews too...somebody tell me if I don't ok?

Chapter 8

Tari followed Aragorn to the armoury to get the equipment she would need for the quest on which they were about to embark. She walked into the huge room full of weapons and gear and stood completely in awe. "Wow! I have never seen so many swords and bows in my entire life! This is completely overwhelming!" Aragorn looked back at her and smiled. Without saying a word, he chose a sword and a bow and handed both to her. "This sword is called Gwathrist, or Shadow Cleaver, in the common tongue. It was once created for Lady Celebrian, Arwen's mother. I'm not sure if you know of what happened to her, but she sailed into the Undying Lands before she ever had the chance to learn to use it. It seems appropriate to give this to you now." Tari nodded, awe still written clearly on her face as she inspected the blood red scabbard and the garnet-encrusted hilt set in what looked like silver, but was most likely mithril. She looked up at Aragorn and faintly whispered, "Yes, I do know what happened to Lady Celebrian. That's why I wonder if another sword would be a better choice. I'm sure Lord Elrond and his children would be loathe to part with such a keepsake of their mother." Aragorn heard her whispers, and his features seemed to soften, clearly moved by Tari's compassion and thoughtful gesture as she tried to hand the sword back to him. He smiled lightly, pushing it back into her hands. "Nay, my lady, it was Lord Elrond's idea. He could never bear to look at it after she took the ships to Valinor, and Elrohir and Elladan have been urging him to give it away. It was Arwen herself that suggested giving her mother's sword to you. She seemed to think you would like it." Tears welled up in Tari's eyes as she accepted the sword and scabbard. She was moved that Arwen would allow her mother's sword to be given to her. "Arwen and I discussed colours earlier when picking out my dress for the Council, and I told her that this red was my favourite. It was so incredibly kind of her to want to give this to me! I must thank her somehow." Aragorn smiled dreamily and said, "Yes, Arwen has always been so incredibly gracious and thoughtful. Its one of the many reasons why I love her." Tari smiled inwardly and somewhat sadly. She was torn between what she knew was to come in Aragorn's future and how she felt, seeing how great he was but knowing that she would never get to find out if her feelings were real. She all of a sudden had a great understanding of how Eowyn was going to be feeling in the not-so-distant future.

Aragorn turned away abruptly to grab a deep red quiver full of arrows. It was the same red as her scabbard. He turned again, waking her from her trance as he handed the quiver to her. "Also from Lady Celebrian's collection." he stated. Tari nodded as she slung the quiver over her shoulder to join her bow. Matching armguards were given next. After that, Aragorn looked for chain mail, as she would need it for the journey. Giving Tari a quick glance of assessment, he turned back to the chain mail hanging on the wall. After a few minutes of searching, he reached up for one set and pulled it off the wall. Tari looked at it warily, unsure of herself all of a sudden. "How do I put that on?" she asked hesitatingly, eyeing the seamless garb of tiny metal rings. It looked much like the one Frodo wore, but it was larger and had a hood. Aragorn smiled. "Don't worry," he said, "it takes a little bit of time to get used to, but soon it will feel like a second skin. No come over here and I'll help you put it on." Tari seemed to glide slowly over to him, slightly self-conscious. Aragorn removed her bow, quiver, and sword and set them all down lightly on a nearby table. "Lift up your arms over your head." He commanded, and Tari immediately complied. Aragorn slipped the metal onto her arms, and it slunk over her head and down her upper body to end at her mid thighs. "Okay, this is lighter than it looks, and easy to put on. Now what?" Tari asked him, expecting that this little dress up session was not yet over. He held out a leather vest that was as long as the chain mail shirt she wore. It had a belt that tied around the waist and was the same red as her quiver, armguards, and scabbard. She slipped the vest on and Aragorn slid the scabbard onto her belt and tied the belt in a knot in front of her. Finally, he handed her the matching red leather boots and bid her take off the pink mules she currently wore so that she could try them on. "Oh, wow! They are a perfect fit, and they feel simply wonderful!" she ran a hand down the side of one boot, delighted in the quality and feel of the butter-like smooth texture. Finally, she slung the quiver and bow over her shoulder.

"Ok, how do I look? Do I look like a warrior now?" Tari asked with a smile on her face. Aragorn laughed lightly, replying, "well, you would look a little more intimidating if you weren't wearing that pink dress!" Tari rolled her eyes, laughing. "Yeah, I suppose I'm not very forbidding in the dress, huh? But putting on this chain mail over these sleeves feels really strange, let me tell you! We just don't wear sleeves like these where I come from. They look great, but they're really not all that practical." Aragorn laughed again as he took her hand and lead her out of the room. "Wait!" she exclaimed, "I have to get my shoes!" she picked the mules up off the table and took Aragorn's offered arm as they stepped out of the armoury.

"Before we begin, I suggest getting out of the dress and into something more comfortable and suitable for combat." Aragorn said with a smirk. Tari shot him a look of disbelief. "But it took forever to get all this on!" she protested, a hint of a whine coming out in her voice despite her efforts to stop it. Aragorn chuckled in amusement. "well, unless you plan on sleeping in all this getup every night we're away, you'll have to get used to it. Besides, this will give you a chance to practice getting all of it off quickly." He replied with a grin. Tari tried to keep herself from focusing on the double entendre get your mind out of the gutter, Tari! She shook her head in annoyance, disgusted with her sick and twisted mind. "alright, fine!" she huffed, her annoyance clearly recognizable. She tore the belt of the vest open and unbuttoned it, taking it off her shoulders and handing it to him with a short, "here!" Then, she took off the chain mail off as if it was the sweatshirt she had ended up wearing to Imladris and tossed it to him. Next came the boots, tossing each one at his feet after replacing the bare foot with a rose mule. Picking up her weapons, she bid him follow her with the rest of her military gear. Aragorn rolled his eyes and shook his head, trying to hide the victorious grin threatening to appear on his highly amused face. He picked up her boots and greeted her with an exaggerated, "Yes, my lady, your wish is my command! Your human coat rack is here to do your bidding!" Tari shot him another dirty look as she swat at his arm, missing as he shifted gracefully away from the less-than-vicious attack. They then headed toward Tari's room so that she could change.

A/N: Gwathrist comes from combining 2 Sindarin words from the index of Tolkien's "The Silmarillion". 'Gwath' means shadow and '-ris' or '-rist' is a suffix meaning cleaver.


	9. Chapter 9

A Note:I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the moment, unfortunately); I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope you like it, and review it for me please! Also thought up some part of the plot for much later in the story that will include Eomer, but look for that later on. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Tari stepped out of her room wearing her jeans and tank top that she had worn to Middle Earth. Taking her new boots from him, she slipped them on and placed each boot cut denim leg over them. Aragorn's eyebrow shot up as he noticed her choice of battle wear, and he coughed uncomfortably as he tried to avoid looking at the cleavage being shown to him as she bent at the waist to tie up her boots. She stood up, not noticing Aragorn's uneasiness. Tari tried to take the chainmail next, but Aragorn had not yet relinquished his grip on it. "Aragorn?" Tari said, "I need my chainmail." When he didn't respond, she waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Middle Earth to Aragorn, hello?" He shook his head, clearing it from the contemplative trance he had been in and asked, "Are you sure you'll be comfortable in that shirt?" Tari nodded confidently. "I'm sure." She replied. "there are no sleeves to worry about interfering with how this will fit." She slipped it over her head and allowed him to help her with the vest. Placing her bow and quiver over her shoulder, she said, "Ok, I'm ready. Lead the way, kind sir!" He nodded and took her arm, leading her out the door.

They arrived in an outdoor training area close to the armoury. Targets were set up for archery practice among the trees at the far end of the clearing, and a large open area, complete with a sandy duelling area, lay before them. "Alright," Aragorn began, "since you're new to sword play, I'll have you leave your bow and quiver here on the bench. However, as you progress, you'll have to spar with me while wearing your archery gear as well." Tri nodded in agreement. "Sounds fair." She replied with a shrug. "Where do I begin?" Aragorn grabbed her hand and led her to the centre of the sandy area. "Aright, now draw your sword. I want to see how you do it." He commanded. Tari drew her sword, slowly and unsurely. She held it in front of her, much like she'd seen him do it in the movies and on her desktop wallpaper of her computer. She felt absolutely ridiculous, but, since Aragorn hadn't burst out laughing, she thought she might have done it at least somewhat properly. "Not bad for a first-timer. However, I really don't believe you're ready to challenge me quite yet." He smirked. "Challenge?" she replied nervously, somewhat embarrassed. "Is that what I was doing when I held my sword in front of me like that?" she asked him, suppressing a groan. "Yes." He replied with a smile. "But I'll ignore it for now. Until you learn the correct method and improve." He continued.

He stood behind her now and moved her body, posing her in the correct stance. "This is how you should begin when sparring or duelling. This is used when you have time to consider your strategy upon an opponent. We will use this when practicing." She nodded and allowed him to show her the basic moves. They practiced for about half an hour before Tari began to tire. She didn't want to stop though, because she felt like she was getting the hang of it. Aragorn, however, noted her growing fatigue. "Alright, lets take a break." He suggested, knowing that she was reluctant to admit she was tired. Tari knew that he was doing it for her sake, and showed her appreciation. "Thanks, Aragorn, a break sounds great. Want a drink?" she asked him, handing him the waterskin he had remembered to bring with him. "That sounds good, but its not full. I meant to fill it in the river, but you were so prompt and eager, I didn't have the heart to make you wait." Aragorn replied with a sheepish grin. Tari laughed, and shot him a comeback. "Don't blame your forgetfulness on me, ranger! Or I'll have to show you my hand to hand combat skills. I could put you on the ground in seconds!" she threatened teasingly. Aragorn laughed heartily. "Allow me to take you to the river then, milady, and we shall rest under the largest maple on the riverbank." Tari nodded with a smile, jumping up from the bench. "Great! What are we waiting for? Lets go!" she cried enthusiastically. "I love water!"

Tari sat under the massive maple tree as Aragorn filled the water skin. He then joined her under the tree and sat down beside her. He handed Tari the waterskin and she took a large gulp from it. She handed it back to him and rested the back of her head against the tree. "So, how did I do?" she asked him casually. Aragorn looked at her briefly, knowing that she wanted to have done well, but for what reason he could not fathom. Tari wanted him to be proud of her, she knew deep down in her heart, but her mind denied it. "You did excellently, Tari." Aragorn replied softly, somewhat amazed. "I have never, in all my years of sword play, seen anyone so naturally gifted so quickly. At the rate you were going today, you shall soon surpass my own skill. Never have I seen a new swordsman last for half an hour on the field. I am mightily impressed, as I lasted only ten minutes on the field the first time I wielded a sword in my early years." Tari's smile widened steadily as Aragorn spoke with awe. "Thank you," she replied demurely, all of a sudden feeling somewhat shy as her cheeks pinkened slightly. Aragorn nodded, looking away suddenly. They sat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence for a few moments, both feeling some sort of unspoken tension. Tari, finally unable to take the silence, asked Aragorn, "Will I often have a chance to actually use that stance you taught me at first, or will it be more like charging in, sword swinging most of the time? Is there another stance to use for when the enemy is charging toward you and there's no time to figure out your strategy?" Tari felt a little nervous about that, since strategic games had never been one of her strong suits. "There is one other stance. Just bend low to the ground and hold your sword, tip out, away from you and toward the enemy." Aragorn jumped up and squat low to the ground, sword pointed toward her, but not near enough to hurt her. Tari nodded in comprehension, thinking about how those lunges she'd done religiously at the gym would come in handy. "I guess it'll be hard for the enemy to take a swing at me and hit me if I'm crouched to the ground like that, since I'm so small." Tari laughed, used to joking about how short she was. "I can sympathize with the hobbits and Gimli." Aragorn chuckled in amusement. "So, should Boromir continue worrying about how I'll fare on this quest?" Tari asked. "Well, from what I can tell so far, he has no cause to worry. But I'd still like to see what your hand-to-hand style is like. "Don't worry," she replied, "I won't practice on you. I'll just have Boromir help me with a demonstration for everyone. I'm sure he'll help me out if I ask him nice enough." Tari laughed, giving Aragorn a conspiratorial wink. They laughed and chatted for a few minutes more before Tari noticed Arwen standing on a bridge over the water some distance away. Tari was silent for a moment as Aragorn noticed he there and slipped away unnoticed, giving him time and space to be with her, since they would be leaving in a few days. She decided to save battle strategies for another time. Tari picked up her gear and headed back toward Imladris and her room to have a bath and get ready for dinner.


	10. Chapter 10

A Note:I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the moment, unfortunately); I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope you like it, and review it for me please! Also thought up some part of the plot for much later in the story that will include Eomer, but look for that later on. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Dinner was to begin momentarily, so Tari left her room to head down the hall towards the feast. She had to admit, after her sword lesson earlier, that she was starving! She wore the red dress Arwen had shown her earlier, matching mules on her dainty feet. One of the handmaidens had set her hair into ringlets, holding some of it up in a gorgeous gold clip while the rest of it tumbled down her back. A few curly tendrils framed her face, giving her the appearance of some kind of angel or princess. Tari had certainly never felt more beautiful!

She heard a door close lightly somewhere in the corridor behind her, but did not pay much attention; her thoughts more focused on what adventures were soon to come, and also of Aragorn's somewhat strange behaviour at times. "Lady Tari," a soft, silvery voice called out behind her, a sound much like sweet, lyrical music. Tari jumped slightly, putting a hand to her heart before turning. "Prince Legolas!" she exclaimed, adrenaline pumping through her veins, "My goodness! You startled me. How are you this evening, milord?" Legolas nodded his response and replied, "Forgive me, my lady, I did not intend to give you a fright. But I am quite happy to run into you like this. I wondered if you might allow me to escort you to the feast this evening." Tari smiled sweetly. "There is nothing to forgive. I've just forgotten how light elves are on their feet. I was wrapped up in my own thoughts as well, so it is partially my fault. Yes, I would be honoured to have you escort me to the feast. It will give us a chance to learn more about each other." Legolas smiled, offering his arm to her. "Then allow me to lead you, my lady." She took his arm and they sauntered down the hall together, descending the stairs after they had been announced.

Aragorn glanced at the head of the stairs as he heard Legolas and Tari's names announced. His eyes widened slightly as he saw her dress, and then narrowed as he saw her arm linked with Legolas'. He looked down, ashamed of himself. He was glad that Arwen had not arrived, for she would not have been happy to see Aragorn's reaction to Tari.

Meanwhile, Tari, arm linked with Legolas, glanced around the room nervously. She felt like she already knew quite a few people there, but she knew that she knew only very little about them. Legolas noticed her trepidation and paused his step. "Lady Tari, " he said softly, "you're so nervous and tense! No one is going to hurt you…everyone here is very friendly!" Tari mentally shook the fog out of her brain as she looked at the hand on his arm, noticing that it was turning white with the pressure she was exerting. She blushed lightly and relaxed her hand, rubbing the abused area of his arm absent-mindedly. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry…I hope your arm is alright. I don't mean to be so nervous really, I'm just truly overwhelmed with all of this. I feel completely out of place!"

Legolas continued down the steps once Tari had become mobile once more. "Well, it is understandable, considering all you've been through so far. It must have been quite a shock to end up in Middle Earth from your own homeland." Tari nodded in agreement before stating, "Well, I suppose things could always have been worse…I could have ended up closer to Mordor or been found by orcs! Its much better that the first person I met was Aragorn rather than Saruman or someone. At least I have some clue as to what's happening!" Legolas' laugh tinkled like bells as Tari chuckled softly herself.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Legolas noticed the look on Aragorn's face. He was watching Tari, trying to look like he was not. Tari didn't notice, since she was looking at the floor as she took her last step down. She heard Legolas mumbling something in Elvish, and she turned her head to look up at him, taking a deep breath to tell him that she hadn't understood him, since she spoke very little Elvish. However, she saw that he wasn't looking at her, but at Aragorn. She lowered her head quickly, trying to hide the fierce blush that crept up onto her cheeks. It's not all about you, Tari she thought in self-disgust. Meanwhile, Legolas had been asking Aragorn why he looked at Tari so intently. He responded with quick denial, and retaliated by asking if he had fallen for a mortal woman. Legolas, rather than answering such a ridiculous question, asked Aragorn if he was jealous, which was also very quickly denied. Tari, trying to keep her blushing under control, understood very little, except her name, so she knew that they were talking about her, but what it was, she would never ask. The conversation looked rather intense, and the last thing she wanted was to get in the way.

Legolas then turned back to Tari and saw that she was once again a light shade of pink, and looking at the floor. "Forgive my rudeness, my lady, I did not mean for you to look at your shoes all evening." Tari raised her head, her eyes looking into his as her lips curled up in one corner. "Nay, I was not looking at my shoes, milord, just thinking." She turned her head to nod respectfully to Aragorn, a soft smile lighting up her angelic face even further. "Good evening, milord Aragorn. It is lovely to see you again." Aragorn nodded in response, gently taking her free hand in his and placing a soft kiss upon it. "Milady, it is wonderful to see you once again as well. You look absolutely ravishing; that red most definitely suits you." Tari averted her gaze, blushing once again. "You flatter me, milord." She replied softly. Aragorn laughed. "Nay, my lady, it brings colour to your cheeks and the sunlight from your hair." Tari smiled, clearly not accustomed to such compliments. "You'll have me looking more like a giant tomato if you keep this up, my lord." Legolas and Aragorn laughed aloud at this, the elf's like silver bells, and the Edain's like a deep, hearty drum. "I am only reluctant that I do not match my lady's finery in my silver and blue!" Legolas sighed dramatically, causing another deep laugh from Aragorn and a giggle from Tari. "Somehow, I cannot picture a woodland elf in red, milord." Tari replied, her giggles subsiding. "Although my sister, if she was here as well, would become your constant shadow, not only because silver and blue are both her favourite colours, but because she has a particular fondness for golden haired elves." Tari sighed softly, thinking of the sister left at home, and missing her terribly. "You miss her, don't you?" Legolas asked softly. "Aye" Tari replied. "She would have loved to be here, especially meeting you. You were always her favourite."

To take Tari's mind off her evident homesickness, Aragorn suggested mingling around to see the other fellowship members and to get to know them better. Legolas looked to Tari, asking her, without words, if she wanted to. "I'd love to!" she exclaimed, noticing that Aragorn wore a red silk belt and a red rose in his long-tailed black cloak. "Should we wait for Lady Arwen, milord Aragorn?" Tari asked, not wanting Gondor's future queen to be wroth with her. He looked down at the floor briefly, soft grey eyes flickering between her and the floor before answering, "Nay, she was not much in the mood for celebrating this eve, I'm afraid." Tari gave him a confused gaze, asking him if all was well. "Nay, but I wish not to risk ruining your evening by talking about this now. I'd just like a chance to think about it some first." Comprehension dawned on her as she realized that he had told Arwen to forget about him and go to Valinor because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if she gave up her immortality for him. Legolas looked at him with concern, and Tari touched his arm lightly, sympathy clearly written all over her face. "Well, then, Aragorn, you must come mingle with us…perhaps you can help me get to know my future fellowship members." He nodded to Tari lightly, taking Tari's free arm and tucking her hand lightly into his arm. "I'd be delighted, milady." Tari allowed Aragorn to take the lead. He, along with Legolas on her left, led her over to where Gandalf was conversing with the hobbits.

"How's your shoulder doin' tonight, Mr. Frodo?" she heard Sam ask with concern. Frodo, who had been taking a sip out of his ale mug, turned to look at Sam smiling with love and gratitude (A/N: this isn't one of those stories, no sam/frodo slash, that's just wrong!!) and answered, "its not too bad, Sam. That Elvish medicine from Lord Elrond is helping immensely." The trio, containing Tari, had arrived to hear Frodo's comment, and Tari added her own. "Well, Master Ring bearer, 'tis very glad I am to hear that!" Frodo turned 'round in surprise to see the lovely lady from that afternoon's Council meeting, escorted by Strider and the fair elf prince. "Oh, my lady, you startled me! I thank you for your kindness and concern for my well-being. You are looking enchanting this evening. You shine like the sunset, with your red and gold. But please, do call me Frodo. I'm rather uncomfortable being called master and ring bearer." Tari flushed once again, murmuring softly, "the men of Middle Earth certainly have a way with words that is simply beyond anything I have ever been fortunate enough to experience. I thank you, Frodo, for your kind words and compliments. You are looking rather healthy and robust yourself! I sincerely hope to see you looking stronger and stronger as each day passes, and I will give you aid and strength so long as it is in me to share."

Sam beamed up at Tari after hearing her vow to Frodo. "Lady Tari, you will always be a treasure to me for all you have promised to Mr. Frodo." Tari looked to Sam with a quivery smile and bright, teary eyes. "Oh, master Sam, you shall make me cry! You also will mean much to me, for your integrity and loyalty will surpass all of us! I am most honoured to share in this fellowship with you!" Gandalf piped up at this point. "Now now, gentlemen, we cannot allow the lovely lady Tari to shed tears on this night, for this is to be a celebration! Let us have some music for dancing!" he cried, striking his knarled staff on the marble floor.

Music began to play, and Legolas heard the beginnings of a song he particularly loved. "Lady Tari," he began softly, "would you honour me with a dance?" Tari glanced around to the dance floor, watching a few other couples dance a sort of waltz that she thought she might know a few steps to, but not nearly enough without making a fool out of herself. "I'm afraid I don't know the steps to this particular dance…" Legolas waved his hand, dismissing her admission without a care. "You will not make a fool out of yourself, milady, do not worry. As long as you follow my lead, you shall be the envy of every lady in the room." Tari furrowed her brow for a moment before deciding, what the hell. "Alright, I'd be delighted to." Excusing herself from the hobbits, Gandalf, and Aragorn, she allowed Legolas to lead her to the centre of the floor.

Aragorn and the hobbits watched Legolas and Tari as they glided gracefully on the dance floor. "Wow!" Aragorn murmured softly to himself, "she moves as gracefully as an elf! Never have I seen a mortal woman dance as Tari does! I must know how she does it!" Frodo, having heard the Edain's musing, watched him closely as Aragorn's soft gaze followed Tari's every ladylike step. The ring bearer knew of his promise to lady Arwen, having met her on several occasions since her rescue mission from the forest to Imladris. He thought it odd that Aragorn seemed to look somewhat lovingly at Tari. "Strider," Frodo began softly, "why do you watch Lady Tari so intently?" upon hearing Frodo's question, Aragorn came out of his trance, startled by the bold question. "What? I…I…I wasn't watching lady Tari…I was…I…uh…was just making sure she was alright out there, that's all. She was nervous about the dance steps since she's never done them before." Frodo raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Well," Frodo mused, "she seems to be doing rather well. Prince Legolas seems to be a good leader." "Yes," Aragorn muttered in annoyance, "it would appear so…excuse me, Frodo, I believe I shall get a glass of wine."

As the music came to an end, Tari came back, arm in arm with Legolas, laughing with him gleefully. "No, you dance like an angel!" Legolas entreated. "Have you been drinking too much Elvish wine? I stepped on your foot, like, 3 times! I've never felt so clumsy in a long time! So much for not making a fool out of myself!" Legolas shook his head, denying her claims. "Nay, my lady, I felt nothing on my feet." Tari snorted in self-disgust. "Well, then, your highness, I must have trampled all over some other elf prince's toes because I was not only dancing on the marble floor! How can a mortal girl not feel like a clumsy oaf (A/N: I was gonna write "oof" in honour of my sister's misspelling in my high school yearbook, but no one else would have appreciated the joke like we do!) when dancing with an elf?" Aragorn had arrived from the wine table by this time, so he had heard Tari's retort. "I'm afraid Legolas is correct, milady, you dance like you've known the steps your entire life. You looked lovely out there. Anyway, I thought you might be thirsty, so I took the liberty of getting you a glass of wine. I hope you don't mind." Aragorn said, mumbling the last part quickly. Tari touched her hand to her heart, exclaiming, "Oh my! That was so very thoughtful of you, yes; I'd love to try some wine. I've never had Elvish wine before, so I was rather excited to taste it." She took the offered glass from his hand, bowing her head and raising her glass to him before taking a sip. "Mmm! " she moaned lightly, "this is so much better than wine is where I come from. Wine in my world is simply dreadful! Thank you, Aragorn, this is lovely!" she said, flashing him a pearly white smile, blue eyes twinkling merrily. He smiled back, raising his glass to her as he replied, "it was my pleasure, milady" before he took another sip. "Something worth noting about the wine for those of us who are mortal borne, my lady…do not drink it too quickly, or in large quantities, or you will be rather intoxicated and feeling rather miserable in the morning. I have, unfortunately, learned this from experience." Tari tried to stifle her mad urge to giggle uncontrollably, but a few determined errant giggles escaped. "Then I shall keep that in mind. Thank you kindly for the warning."

"Now, milady, we should speak with Lord Boromir of Gondor. Please, allow me to escort you to him." Aragorn offered. "Unless you'd rather have another dance with Legolas first, of course." Tari shook her head negatively. "Nay, I don't believe I will just yet. I think I shall have my next attempt with a mortal man, for the next one at least. Despite how well you and he believe I performed on the dance floor earlier, I felt rather inadequate dancing with an elf." Aragorn furrowed his brow in concern as he pondered her face for a few moments. "He did not harm or belittle you, did he? Because if he hurt you, prince or no prince, I will harm him…" Tari looked up at him in shock, completely surprised to hear him threaten one of his very best friends. "No, Aragorn, he was lovely, a perfect gentleman really. He can't help it, he's an elf. Elves just seem so much more graceful and coordinated. I just feel more comfortable with people I know have a finite life span like I do. He did nothing to me, I promise you! Men don't seem to walk softly, as if they are on clouds, which is more like what I'm used to. This sounds utterly ridiculous, I know, but I'm used to dancing with men and being the better dancer, not the worse one…oh my! That sounded worse out loud than it did in my head! I'm sorry, I did not mean to insult the dancing talents of Middle Earth men, oh my, I'm just used to men I know in my world…I think I'm going to just stop talking now before I say anything worse!" Aragorn laughed as Tari flushed, looking at her shoes again. "Nay, my lady, I do understand what you meant. I just hope you'll allow me to prove myself later as more than a, how did you say it, a clumsy oaf?" Tari laughed softly as her words came back to haunt her. "Aye, I will, whenever you wish." Aragorn nodded in acceptance and smiled.

"shall we tour the room and speak to someone new?" Aragorn asked, extending his arm to Tari. "Aye," Tari replied with a nod of her head, accepting the offered arm. They came away from the table holding the drinks and walked slowly around the room, chatting among themselves. Taking a glance around the room, Tari noticed that most of the people were dancing. "Looks like we're out of luck! Even Lord Elrond is dancing, look!" Aragorn pointed out. Tari turned her head in the direction that he was pointing, her eyes widening at the sight. "Wow! He's a great dancer!" Tari exclaimed in surprise. Aragorn laughed heartily at her shocked expression. "Yes, he is. He taught me everything I know about dancing. But I am still more clumsy, since I am not an elf!" Tari laughed and elbowed him lightly in the side. "Alright, alright, quit twisting my words, funny guy!" Aragorn chuckled lightly and muttered, "As you wish, milady." Tari just rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. She was glad that his dampened spirits had been raised, even if just for a little while.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi all!! It has been forever, I know, sorry to all of you. I'm also giving up the long-winded schpiel about not owning LOTR, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda…a quick thanks to my reviewers, with all their great comments, suggestions, etc…so thanks to **darkchild99** (you make me blush!! Thank you so much!), **Amarthiel of Dor-lomin** (I did try to space things out better, sometimes isn't so cooperative unfortunately…hope its better this time. Thanks for your candor!), **Elora Nova** (another blusher!! How sweet you are! Nah, not a mary sue hater, I'm pretty flexible with what I like, as long as the story's good. I'll be sure to check out your story too. Hope this update pleases you so far!), **Allison** (yep, 10th walker MS, I know it! Hope you like it tho…), **Lucylambchops** (thanks for the encouragement, I should have more time now for the next several months to work on it!), **Ilenya** (thanks so much! How sweet, I'm blushing again!! I don't mind having only a few reviews, as long as they are as good as the ones I've received!! Everyone is so supportive and encouraging!! I'll do better with my updates, maybe that'll encourage others to review! And I agree, Aragorn's pretty fabulous!!), **Crecy** (ha ha, I know, I always liked that line in the movies! And I also love how funny Gimli is, hopefully I can add some funny Gimli stuff later! Hope you like this next bit!), and, finally, **Lady Tolwen** (thanks so much, and I hope you enjoy this part too!)

Chapter 11

Meanwhile, Boromir was awakening from a nap that he had had, hearing music and laughter. Shooting straight up, he cursed himself, realizing that he was late for the celebration. Dammit! he thought to himself, I should have had one of the servants wake me! He rushed over, seeing his clothes hanging in the closet, and grabbed his black leggings and deep red tunic, the white tree of Gondor displayed largely on the front, seven stars arcing over the branches. It was the sign of the Steward, and the red of his tunic indicated his rank and service in Gondor's army, as well as the first born son of Denethor II, Steward of Gondor, who had the current, kingless rule of Gondor. Boromir hurriedly changed into his dress clothes and laced up the shiny black leather boots on his feet. Giving his hair a quick comb through, he tore open his chamber door and rushed down the stairs leading to the ballroom. Boromir took a quick glance around and noticed Frodo at the food tables with his fellow hobbits and Gandalf, Legolas and Elrond dancing, and Tari laughing with Aragorn over some private joke as they watched the others dance.

"Aragorn, you will have to help me with a few of these dance steps before I actually make it to the dance floor. I'm getting the main steps of the dance, I think, but I'm confused with the complicated part in the middle." Aragorn gave her the instructions, step-by-step, as she tried each part by herself. Tari picked it up quickly and found it to be pretty easy on her own. "How hard is it once you're with a partner?" Tari asked Aragorn. Before Aragorn could answer, however, she heard a deep voice behind her make an offer. "Why don't you dance it with me and find out for yourself, milady."

Tari turned swiftly, startled by the deep, somewhat husky voice. "Oh, Lord Boromir! I didn't see you here earlier. Its almost like you popped out of nowhere! How are you?" Boromir bowed to Tari, taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on it. "Much better now that I've seen you, milady!" Boromir responded with a flirtatious grin on his ruggedly handsome face. Tari averted her gaze with a soft blush to her cheeks. "You look lovely! You take my breath away with your achingly beautiful radiance!" Boromir declared with sincerity. He had noticed how good she looked in the garnet red dress that Arwen had picked out, enjoying what the view was doing for his imagination.

"So," Boromir began, his right eyebrow shot up in question, "how about that dance, Lady Tari? Would you care to honour me with a dance?" Tari bit her lip nervously, a bit wary of his somewhat leering looks at her. Shooting a quick glance to Aragorn, she saw his jaw stiffen as he glared at Boromir. "Its alright with me, Lady Tari, if you wish to dance with him." He stated coldly. Tari quashed the urge to shiver at his tone and decided to leave him on his own to sort out his issues with Boromir. "I…uh…yes, milord, I'd like that." Tari stammered nervously as Boromir took her arm and escorted her to the dance floor. She turned her head to shoot Aragorn a questioning glance, then had to turn back as Boromir stopped at his chosen spot.

Boromir wrapped one arm around the back of Tari's torso and took her hand in his free one. He began leading her in the complicated steps with ease, chattering on to Tari about himself as they moved along. Tari, however, wasn't really able to concentrate on him because, every few seconds, he turned her so that her view was on Aragorn, who was standing in a corner with a look of hatred on his handsome face. I wonder why he's staring at Boromir like that. If looks could kill, Boromir would have been lying dead on the floor before he had the chance to ask me to dance!

Thankfully, a few minutes later, the soft melody came to an end as a much faster song began to play. Tari excused herself from his grasp, claiming that she was a little too warm and needed to get some air. "Allow me to escort you to the balcony, milady." Boromir responded, but Tari vetoed that query in a hurry. "I thank you, milord, but I must speak with the Lord Aragorn about my training, as I had promised we would a few moments before your arrival. I am sorry, but perhaps we could speak later?" Tari suggested timidly. Boromir's blatant attention on her more than ample bosom was trampling all over her last nerve, and she knew that, if she didn't get away from him, she would end up inflicting him some serious bodily harm. "As you wish, my fair lady Tari." Boromir agreed, disappointment evident in his voice. Tari nodded to him in response and left him near the drinks table to find Aragorn.

Reaching Aragorn's corner, she felt both relief and trepidation. She knew that he was ready to throttle Boromir, but that he was showing enormous restraint. Arriving by his side, she lightly brushed his arm with her soft fingertips to wake him from his murderous trance. "Aragorn?" she said softly, trying not to startle him, "are you alright?" Aragorn reluctantly tore his gaze from where Boromir stood and landed it on her confused and concerned face. His stern glare softened as he noticed a touch of fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "I'm sorry, lady Tari, I did not mean to frighten or concern you. What was it you wanted to discuss?" he asked, trying to avoid what he knew was coming.

"Well," she began nervously, chewing her bottom lip as she thought about how she wanted to phrase her concerns, "would you escort me to the balcony for some air? It is rather warm in here, and we could have some privacy for our talk…" she trailed, although it sounded more like a question. Aragorn closed his eyes and sighed, resolved to the upcoming conversation. "Very well, my lady." He offered her his arm and led her out onto the terrace into the moonlight, gearing up for the discussion to come.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine, I'm broke, don't sue!

Thanks to: **Fox of the Nova** (I love how you make it sound like a boxing match, that's wicked!!! I think you'll find that Aragorn pretty much wins this round too, but don't forget, Tari's a diplomatic kinda girl…and Boromir wont take this lying down!); **Amarthiel of Dor Lomin** (thanks for the compliment…If I think of something new, I'll be sure to write something more original for you. We can't all like everything, but I appreciate your candour. Thanks for the review.); and **dark child99** (thanks for the praise!! I hope you like this next one!)

Chapter 12

Upon reaching the far railing of the terrace, Aragorn released Tari's arm and placed his two hands on the marble railing, leaning into his palms. Tari crossed her arms, rubbing her small hands up and down quickly to rid them of the sudden chill they felt from the cool autumn evening. The moon was full; its silvery beams the only thing illuminating the vast stone and marble terrace.

Tari leaned her back against the railing to Aragorn's right. Keeping her arms crossed, she attempted to organize her jumbled thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"You looked like you wanted to kill Boromir in there, Aragorn." Tari decided to go with the direct approach. Why beat around the bush? They both knew it was coming anyway. "Did I?" Aragorn queried, "I wasn't aware." She snorted very ungracefully, surprising Aragorn, who was more used to the soft spoken and polite lady-like behaviour. "Yes," she retorted sarcastically, "and I'm an ugly, smelly, hairy orc!" This elicited an amused grin from the highly uncooperative Aragorn. "Your point is well taken, my lady." The handsome ranger replied with a slight growl.

"So what's the problem then?" Tari asked, nearing exasperation. "I don't know exactly, " Aragorn began, "I just sense something off with him, I can't pinpoint it, but he just rubs me the wrong way." (A/N: wouldn't I like to rub him the right way ;) !) he finished softly. "Well, I guess I can understand that." Tari replied thoughtfully, knowing that Aragorn was not being completely forthcoming. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he was jealous! "I don't have such strong, negative feelings about Boromir like you do, but he does make me uncomfortable. He stares at me a lot, and he was pretty blatant with his flirting. It was like he was trying to picture me without my gown on!" she shuddered, feeling slightly disgusted. Tari heard a low grunt come from beside her as he replied, "So I noticed."

Tari turned to look at him, leaning her right hip against the railing. "Aragorn, we have to figure out a way to at least tolerate him. We will be traveling together for quite a while, and it would go a lot smoother if you could refrain from sticking your sword at his throat every day, threatening to kill him! We need to kill the enemy, not an ally, no matter how arrogant or annoying he may be." She explained, putting her hand on his rather large and firm bicep (A/N: (author wipes drool off her chin…). Aragorn furrowed his brow as he considered her words. Tari continued, "Besides, we wouldn't want your head to burst from the effort of not killing Boromir!"

Aragorn laughed loudly at that. "Yes, I suppose you're right, Lady Tari. What do you suggest I do?" he asked. Tari thought for a moment, then made a suggestion. "Well, you'll be giving me some weapons training, yes?" Tari waited for Aragorn to confirm her statement. "Well, then, why don't I ask Boromir to help as well? Wouldn't it be better for me to have experience for more than one battle style?" she suggested slyly. Aragorn considered this as she continued. "Besides, we may discover that Boromir is more than just a stuck-up, conceited warrior and find that we actually like him!" she said with a laugh. Aragorn rolled his eyes sarcastically and grunted, "Yeah, right!" Tari chuckled, and she and Aragorn arranged to meet after breakfast on the training field.

They stood outside for a few more minutes, enjoying the quiet beauty of the night. Aragorn was significantly calmer now, so Tari made one last suggestion. "Now that you've cooled down some, why don't we go back inside and have that dance we talked about earlier? You do owe me one after all!" Aragorn smiled down at her, noticing the amused twinkle gleaming there. "Yes," he replied, "I suppose I can handle that! Shall we?" he asked, extending his left arm to the petite blonde in front of him. "Aye!" she answered, slipping her arm into his as he escorted her back into the ballroom.

As they slipped back into the room, Boromir was making his way over to them. Tari could feel Aragorn stiffen, trying not to get angry, so she muttered to him under her breath to calm down. He began taking slow, deep breaths and Tari smiled toward Boromir. The Gondorian smiled back and, upon reaching her, kissed her hand again. "I see you've cooled off a bit. Glad to see you're back." He stated cautiously. Tari and Aragorn both noticed the change in his approach, and Tari could feel Aragorn actually relax a bit. She smiled more genuinely now as she replied, "Yes, I'm much better now. All that dancing was making me look like a huge tomato, and I was really overheating. Lord Aragorn and I discussed my training schedule. We were both hoping you could meet us after breakfast to help me with my training, since my first sword session was today and I'll need more." Tari asked him hopefully, wanting to come to some sort of unspoken peace agreement. With a look of surprise, Boromir graciously accepted, looking pleased.

"Aye, my lady, I would be honoured. I was feeling uncomfortable with you coming on this fellowship, but I would feel better if I saw some of the skills you have and to help you in some new ones. Thank you very much for asking me!" Tari nodded, an amused smile on her face. "Very well, you shall see some of my skills tomorrow after breakfast." Listening to the new song that was beginning, Tari grasped Aragorn's arm, tugging him toward the dance floor, exclaiming, "Oh! I love this song! C'mon, Aragorn, you owe me a dance, and I'm claiming this one!" Aragorn laughed as he allowed himself to be pulled to the dance floor.

Elrond watched Tari pulling Aragorn to the dance floor, and was surprised. Aragorn was smiling and laughing, far more than he ever seemed to with his daughter. Elrond hoped against hope that Aragorn would listen to his request to leave Arwen so that she could be with her own people. Elrond couldn't bear the thought of being separated from another family member for eternity, like he had his brother, Elros. He dreaded the thought of leaving his only daughter behind forever, even if Aragorn was a good man. Elrond liked to see the interaction with Lady Tari because it gave him hope that Aragorn could fall for a mortal woman, and he could take his daughter with him to Valinor.

Boromir, however, was not enjoying the view. He couldn't stand that Aragorn seemed to be her choice for male companionship for the evening. He could see Aragorn's growing affection for the lovely golden haired lady, and he was disgusted. He had been informed of Aragorn's betrothal to the Lady Arwen, and felt that this…display…was indecent. Boromir saw only competition, and was confident that he could appeal to her seeming sense of decency in order to pull her away from his so-called king. "King, ha!" Boromir muttered to himself angrily, "There is no way I'd ever let him take the rule of Gondor away from my family!"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowed. Don't sue, I'm a poor student with a large debt to my sister and student loans.

Quick thanks to dark-child 99; fox of the nova; Lilagirl; and Jousting Elf with a Sabre (to answer your question, no, I'm not Mormon, there actually is a church there!)

Everyone keeps asking if this is an Aragorn romance…it will start out that way for sure, but I haven't decided completely which direction it will go in as I get later into it…I'm thinking of a love triangle deal, but not sure with whom yet…Aragorn is one corner of the triangle, of course though! Magsluvsaragorn is not my penname for nuttin'!

Alright, people, sorry for the lateness of my update, but enjoy the show!

Chapter 13

Tari woke up the next morning as the sun came shining into her window, setting the room into a golden glow. She smiled as she remembered the ball's end the previous evening. Aragorn had walked her to her bedroom door, proclaiming the good time he had had, in spite of Boromir. Tari had laughed and smacked his arm playfully, telling him to be nice. She responded in kind; she had had fun as well. Aragorn took her right hand and placed a kiss on top, bowing to her in good night. Tari blushed and bowed her head, murmuring a soft good night to Aragorn in response. She opened the door, stepping in, and closed it slowly and softly. She leaned against the door, sighing contentedly.

A soft knock sounded on the door, making Tari jump. Her remembrance disturbed, she grabbed the feather-light red silk robe and tied it closed over the light, and fluttery, red sleeping gown she had worn to bed. Tari opened the door, secretly wondering what time it was as she saw Boromir standing in front of her. Lifting her nearly invisible eyebrows in surprise, Tari exclaimed,

"Oh! Good morning, Lord Boromir! How fare you this morning? I hope I haven't overslept." She said worriedly. Seeing Tari in the silky and somewhat seductive nightgown and robe, he flushed quickly and stared at the floor beneath her feet instead. "Nay, milady, there is still 20 minutes left before breakfast is scheduled to begin. I was hoping to escort you there this morning." He suggested hopefully. Tari thought about it for a moment before answering. "Certainly, milord, I would be honoured. Should I wear some of my training gear, or come back to change before we begin training after breakfast?" she asked, accepting his invitation. "Come back up and change, my lady. You should be more comfortable without all your gear on at the table." Boromir answered confidently. She nodded in agreement, and bade him give her a few moments to get dressed as she closed her door.

Tari shuffled through her closet quickly, attempting to find something to compliment her pale complexion. As much as she loved red, she thought another colour would be nice for a change. The Elvish ladies had left her a closet full of gowns while she had been training the day before, and she was in awe as to how many they had managed to make in so short a time. Mentally shaking herself from her reverie, she grabbed a velvet dress the colour of pine needles trimmed with gold metallic cord and put it on quickly. Slipping her feet into shoes that looked exactly like the ones she had worn the night before, except in the same green, she clipped pieces of her hair up on both sides with tiny leaf-shaped clips and added a leaf-shaped emerald pendant on a gold chain around her throat. The pendant settled in the hollow of her throat, resting there softly. Giving herself a final glance in the mirror, she turned to the door to open it, and stepped out.

Boromir watched Tari come out and his throat went dry as his chin dropped in delighted shock. Tari looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, grinning to herself in amusement as she faced the door to close it. She got a kick out of how easy it was to impress the men of Middle Earth, even though she'd only met two so far…Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she turned to Boromir and smiled up at him brightly, an innocent look on her face as she valiantly fought the urge to giggle madly. "Well, milord, shall we?" she received no answer from the tall, broad-shouldered Gondorian, who seemed to be in a daze. "Lord Boromir? Hello?" she said, waving a hand in front of his face, "are you alright?" she questioned in concern. Boromir shook himself out of his wide-eyed, blank stare, and raved over her beauty.

"My lady, I don't know how you do it, but every time I am blessed to see you, it seems that you become even more lovely. I am completely in awe of your ever-growing beauty!" Tari blushed again and wondered briefly if she'd ever truly go back to her own normal colour. She bent her head down, attempting to avoid his appreciative gaze. Boromir took this as a thank you for his compliment and cleared his throat softly, gaining Tari's attention once again. She murmured her thanks to him and took his offered arm as he suggested that they head down to breakfast.

Boromir chatted away lightly to Tari about the pleasantness of the day. Tari nodded intermittently, adding in a comment or two of her own absently. She never really was one to be riveted by conversations about the weather, no matter who the conversationalist was.

"Lord Boromir, I wish to ask you something, if I may." Tari began softly, sounding a bit unsure to the man beside her. Boromir looked over at her, dark eyebrows raised in question. "Aye, my lady, you can ask me anything, and I shall do all in my power to honour your wishes." He replied gallantly, bowing before Tari and kissing her hand, a grin on his strong features. Tari laughed at his antics, her cheeks blushing a light pink. "Oh, honestly! You gallant men are just too much for me! I swear, you are all in competition to keep me red instead of fair!" Tari exclaimed, amusement written in her eyes. "Now you've gone and made me forget what I wanted to ask!" Tari humphed, trying but failing to keep an angry scowl on her face. Boromir laughed, his booming baritone echoing down the corridor. "My lady is absent minded in the morning!" he replied, acting as if he'd discovered her darkest, innermost secrets. Tari swatted his arm in response, attempting an evil glare that her sweet innocence could not quite pull off. "Ugh!" she replied in exasperation, "Men!" She threw her hands into the air, as if to give up on the whole lot of them. Boromir just laughed in reply, taking her arm and leading her down the hall.

Aragorn peered out the door of his room. He had just heard a loud, booming laugh and, to satisfy his curiosity, stuck his head out into the hall. He saw Tari's back toward him as she swat at Boromir's arm, and saw the Gondorian laughing. Aragorn's eyes narrowed, jealousy written all over his face, although his subconscious would never openly admit it to his consciousness. He closed the door silently after seeing Tari slide her arm into the spot Boromir's open arm left for hers and took a few deep breaths before tying up his boots, willing himself to calm down for the lady's sake. He remembered her request to him last night, and strove to comply with her wishes.

"Really, milord, I did want to ask you a question." Tari said to Boromir, remembering what it was she had planned to say. "Very well, then. Since you have remembered what it was, I shall answer if I can. What do you wish, my lady?" Boromir asked in response. "Well," Tari began nervously, "I've noticed that you and the Lord Aragorn aren't…uh…overly fond of each other. I wish to understand why that is." Tari finished, relieved at getting it out, but a bit fearful of the answer. Boromir stopped in the middle of the hall, causing Tari to stop as well. He turned to look at her, pondering his reasons and his answer.

"Hmm…" Boromir began, "You do ask a most difficult question. I shall do all in my power to fully answer you honestly. Part of it has to do with the elves as well. Gondor and its people have kept their lands safe by the shedding of our blood. Yet, the Dunedain, with significant help from the elves, have kept our country without its king for over 900 years. While the stewards have done their best to rule, and I'm glad my father isn't hearing this by the way, our country has been perpetually at war since the last king's reign." Boromir paused, catching his breath. Tari placed her hand on his forearm, brow furrowed.

"I guess I can understand that anger and frustration. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to watch your people suffer and die. But you must see both sides of the coin, milord. From what I understand, after the first alliance of elves and men, Sauron has been biding his time before he strikes. While he sends out legions of orcs, he has been building his forces and planning his war. This you know." Boromir nodded in affirmation, and Tari continued. "However, it seems that the free peoples of Middle Earth need their own secret weapon. Before the ring was found, the only option was to hide the continuing line of kings from Sauron's eye. As far as Sauron can see, his only real thereat is the heir of Isildur. He does not perceive the ring as a threat, for he does not believe anyone would want to destroy it. That is why we must destroy it. It is our other secret weapon. If we destroy the ring, Sauron is no more." Tari finished, taking a deep breath. Boromir stood before her, stunned.

"You have a mighty grasp of the situation, it seems, Lady Tari. You know much of our history." He commented, fishing for an explanation. Tari gave him none. She only replied, "As I told Lord Aragorn last evening, we will all be traveling great distances together. We must have unity, or we will fail. The two of you must work this out before we leave. So be nice at breakfast. We will begin training together, and, although I do have a diplomatic flair, I do not want to play peacemaker between allies." Tari stated emphatically. "I am not a politician, or a diplomat, so do not make me become either." Boromir nodded thoughtfully, realizing her point of view, and feeling a little guilty for putting her in the middle. "Aye, milady, I shall comply to your request. I do apologize for putting you in the middle of it." Tari smiled and nodded.

"Certainly, milord. All is forgiven. Now, I believe there was another reason for your anger with Aragorn?" Tari asked persuadingly. Boromir flushed with embarrassment. "Ah…my lady…I…uh…hadn't wanted to talk about it…another time perhaps?" Boromir stuttered nervously, not wanting to admit that he was jealous of Aragorn's budding relationship with the tiny blonde in front of him. Tari watched him blush, curiosity rising against her better judgment. Forcing herself not to ask why he was blushing, she merely agreed to his request. "Another time then." Reaching the staircase, they headed down and entered the dining hall.

"Good morning!" Tari chirped happily. "I hope everyone slept well." She saw that the four hobbits sat together, and Pippin spoke up, "yes, we did, and the morning would be going much better if Strider was here too so that we could finally eat!" Sam smacked the back of his head, muttering under his breath about Pippin's behaviour. Tari laughed heartily. "Ah, I had heard of the legendary Hobbit appetite. I can't imagine that Aragorn shall be much longer, so try to be patient for a few more minutes, my friend.

"What are we being patient for?" Aragorn asked as he silently entered the room and sat. "oh!" Tari exclaimed, putting a hand to her heart in surprise. "I didn't see you come in, milord. We were merely awaiting your arrival." She replied. "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting." Aragorn answered stiffly. Tari was taken aback, not having expected such a cold reply. Tari merely lowered her head, finding her plate suddenly fascinating. She missed the death glare Boromir shot the grumpy Numenorian.

Elrond frowned at the sudden tension at the table, and decided to break the silence. "Let us begin, shall we?" the elf lord asked lightly. "Oh boy!" Pippin whooped happily as he grabbed the first platter he could reach. Sam rolled his eyes in exasperation, and Tari let out a giggle she'd been trying to hold in. Upon hearing Tari's giggle, Boromir let a snort escape before a soft chuckle left his full lips. Soon, Gandalf and Elrond laughed as well. Arwen let out a dainty laugh, and Gimli guffawed loudly as Legolas let out a smile. Pippin looked at them in confusion. "What?" he asked. Tari snorted, then laughed out loud, and everyone joined in, except Aragorn and Pippin. Aragorn, however, cleared his throat, trying to hide the smile that was erupting on his chiseled face.

Hands shot out all over the table, reaching for the foods their owners wanted. Tari managed to grab a couple of pieces of toasted homemade grain bread before Pippin could hoard the basket for himself. She spread a thin layer of creamy butter on each slice before spooning a light dollop of fresh peach preserves on top. Boromir asked if she wished something to drink, and poured the juice she had chosen into the goblet.

Looking for the fruit salad she had noticed earlier, she saw that Aragorn was finishing up with the bowl. Taking a breath, Tari looked up to Aragorn and asked softly, "Could you please pass the fruit salad?" Aragorn looked up from across the table to see Tari's nervous face. Feeling badly for snapping at her earlier, he answered, "yes, of course, my lady." He shot her a look of remorse, and Tari nodded a silent response, smiling slightly.

The rest of the meal went smoothly, with various conversations going on at the same time. Light-hearted fun was the theme of the meal, with thoughts of the dangers they would soon encounter pushed to the back of their minds.


End file.
